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If you're an experienced designer, then you can use HTML5 today and create sites that are backwards compatible with older browsers. If you're relatively new to web design, then it would be best to start with HTML 4 and learn the fundamentals of working with HTML and CSS.

There's no reason to expect that HTML5 will have any significant impact on SEO in general. It is best to choose the format that will be easy for you to create a good quality website. If you are a beginner, then stick with HTML 4 and CSS. It will teach you how to create a good website that works in all browsers and understand the idea of using HTML for structuring the information on the page and CSS for styling the appearance of the page. Good luck!

Don't worry about HTML5 for now unless you need something specific done that only HTML5 can do like animations, sockets , etc... HTML5 is HTML4 + extras. The code is the same there is just more things you can do. If you code the website in HTML4 adding HTML5 functionality is just writing HTML5 capable tags.

HTML5 accepts mostly both XHTML (strict) and HTML4 (strict) ways of coding, so you should not be worry. In other words, HTML5 is almost fully back compatible with the strict versions of HTML4 and XHTML. With some exceptions, of course, but not so important.

HTML5 is not a new language. It only comes with new features, but it keeps also the vast majority of the older (HTML4, XHYML) ones, so don't worry, use HTM5 Doctype. Later, if you need, you will be able to use those new features.

HTML 5 vs HTML4/XHTMl

A little difference, xhtml is the standard for all major browser except IE8 but IE9 now support xhtml. If you think what is widely used today I bet xhtml. HTML5 has not yet fully introduced but sooner it will the next standard, it has more tags that you choose. This will be used in the next 5 years.read more

Last edited by Kor; 05-12-2012 at 09:46 AM.
Reason: remove the ad link

A little difference, xhtml is the standard for all major browser except IE8 but IE9 now support xhtml. If you think what is widely used today I bet xhtml. HTML5 has not yet fully introduced but sooner it will the next standard, it has more tags that you choose. This will be used in the next 5 years.read more

No. XHTML is not the "standard" by all means. HTML 4.01 is as good as XHTML. All the browsers run whichever HTML or XHTML version, according to the DOCTYPE used. It is true that some of the HTML5 new feature are not interpreted by the old browsers and it might take some time for that, but 5 years is too much. It depends, mainly, on the stubborn users who should upgrade their browsers.

Itís going to be a while before HTML5 is the new standard and everything HTML5 has to offer is supported by all the important browsers.
Here are ten important differences between HTML4 and HTML5:
1. Simplified Syntax
2. The New <canvas> Element
3. The <header> and <footer> Elements
4. New Forms